QM Sports Care Recuperation Oil

QM Recuperation Oil is designed for use after riding, to help stimulate recovery and ease out tight muscles. You can rub it on yourself but it is best used in combination with a massage. It feels relaxing and leaves a nice warming feeling, but does it actually benefit recovery? Who really knows?

• Pros: Nice smell, gentle warming sensation leaves muscles feeling relaxed
• Cons: Requires several re-applications in one session, slightly greasy feel

QM's Recuperation Oil is a cocktail of natural oils that provides a gentle warming feel, intended to help promote recovery by loosening off the muscles. You simply rub it onto your weary legs after you've showered and let it do its thing. The oil is best used in conjunction with a full massage, but can be used just as well without.

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The oil works through a combination of rosemary and lavender extract's warming properties, which release the tension in muscles, and geranium oil, which provides a sense of suppleness. Rosemary and lavender are age-old herbal remedies, and so it's nice to see that QM is using natural ingredients and medications rather than chemically science-lab stuff.

I used the oil after a few long rides, particularly on the easy to work areas such as the quads and calves, and it left my muscles feeling relaxed and less knotted for the remainder of the day; I didn't feel too achy the next day either. Of course, this could be attributable partly to the process of massage rather than just the oil in itself, but I imagine the Recuperation Oil played some part – there must be something behind the use of rosemary and lavender.

> What should you eat to recover after cycling?

When used, the oil leaves a gentle feeling of warmth, sort of a 'glow' as opposed to a fierce burn, and that is a result of the properties of its herbal ingredients. This sensation lasted around 15 to 20 minutes before fading.

It smells really nice, too, with the rosemary and lavender giving off a calming, relaxing smell, which I think adds to the whole process of post-ride recovery – that is, both mentally and physically unwinding.

However, therein lies the problem with such products: how do you know how effective it genuinely is, and how much is about the whole relaxing experience and sensation of massaging it in? How much is a placebo effect?

The product has a similar feel to olive oil – a thin, greasy texture. It rubs quickly and easily into the muscles, which is both a blessing and a curse, as it's not hard to apply, but then it feels like you need to use a lot of it if you're giving yourself a longer massage. However, ironically, the oil leaves a slightly greasy feel, despite the majority of it rubbing in pretty quickly. This is fine on your legs, but you'll probably want to wash your hands after use.

In terms of value, at €10.99 (currently converting to £9.63) it's cheaper than Muc-Off's Amino recovery balm, which is £24 for 150ml. Again, though, the review of Muc-Off's balm also suggests that it's something that you just cannot reliably measure in terms of effectiveness.

To conclude, this oil is a nice product to have but very much a marginal gain. I could see it being popular with pro masseuses who could possibly access it in bulk at a volume discount, but it feels a bit pricey and potentially unnecessary for a Joe Bloggs applying it themselves.

Verdict

Smells nice, feels nice, but is it just a placebo?